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ZERO[Hz] just recently celebrated their 4th anniversary and are currently on tour through Japan for half a year! Read our interview to see what they expect from their new album and upcoming tour. Their funny stories alone are worth to check!
First, we would like to know the meaning behind your band name.
ROY: Every member proposed cool words and this combination was the coolest among them!
You recently celebrated your 5th anniversary. There must be many funny stories that happened within the last 5 years. Can you share a funny story with us?
ROY: It’s our 4th anniversary (laughs)! I had a lot of fun when all of us visited the Shiroi Koibito Park in Hokkaido during one of our tours.
Leo: It’s our 4th anniversary, you know! There are so many, but there were times when all of us would play Pokemon Go together while on tour. That was fun!
Rio: Without really noticing it, all of us ended up with the same hair color once! (This story happened years ago.)
RYOGA: We have so many but somehow I can’t come up with any right now. Something funny that happened recently is that TEIKA called stuffed cabbage rolls “roll cabbage”.
TEIKA: RYOGA once bragged about buying a new game. However, he lost it immediately and was quite sad about it. That was funny.
Sorry for making you older than you are (laughs). 4 years of course! How embarrassing, let’s quickly move to the next question! What is your biggest motivation to continue making music?
ROY: Listening to music.
Leo: The fact that our fans are always waiting for us.
RYOGA: As you might expect, it’s the fact that our music might push someone’s back and help them to go on. I want to work on reaching even more people from now on.
TEIKA: It’s being in front of our fans during live shows!
We were really surprised that the song titles from your new album ZODIAC are a mix of several languages, such as English, German, Italian, and French. Are you especially interested in these countries? Or is there another reason you chose those languages?
ROY: There’s no specific reason. I want to choose words based on the sound or nuance of the word, that’s why I try to use different languages!
The ZODIAC TALE tour starts in April and ends in September and covers most of Japan. Your schedule is incredibly packed with concerts and instore events. Being on tour for half a year seems to be fun but also very exhausting. How do you feel about such long tours?
ROY: It’s the first time we will have that many shows, so I’m looking forward to it from the bottom of my heart.
Leo: I am so excited! I’ll do my best.
Rio: Personally, I think this long tour will be a lot of fun. Because I can eat with the other members and face my guitar or music in general all day.
RYOGA: I’m really looking forward to visiting different places and meeting many people. I want to enjoy each and every show, improve myself further, and face towards the final in Zepp DiverCity. Of course, I will take care of my health and go on tour in good spirits!
TEIKA: Tours are usually a lot of fun. Although I do think that the rent I have to pay, while not even being at home, is a waste of money.
When we listened to your new album ZODIAC, we immediately thought that the songs are perfect for concerts. How do you think your fans will react to your new songs during the upcoming tour?
ROY: I expect them to show me a view I have never seen before.
Leo: I think they will respond enthusiastically.
RYOGA: I want to let them grow together with team ZERO during the tour. We have many different songs, so I want them to enjoy the songs with us.
TEIKA: I want to let the songs grow with the help of all our fans from every place we visit.
Rio, according to your profile, your hobby is painting. We think it’s a very diverse and interesting hobby. Can you tell us what kind of paintings you paint? And for the others: have you seen his painting? What do you think about them?
ROY: I always think that he’s really good.
Leo: His drawings are really charming. I was really happy when he drew something for me for my birthday!
Rio: I loved drawing ever since I was a child. I especially like to draw skulls, horror related pictures, and things with flashy colors.
RYOGA: His pictures have a very unique style and I really like the pictures he draws. He also drew a picture for me for my birthday and that made me super happy.
TEIKA: His way of using colors is very unique.
You often participate in events together with other bands. What do you like about events together with other bands? Is there a band you would like to have a concert with?
ROY: I think it’s a great opportunity for many people to see us, therefore I like them.
Leo: As you might expect it’s a space to hit notes together with other bands, isn’t it?
RYOGA: Despite the genre being the same, there are so many different bands. It’s a lot of fun. Furthermore, as it is also called battle of the bands (in Japanese: tai-ban), it creates a fighting spirit within me and I love that.
TEIKA: The best thing about events is that there are people who see us for the first time there.
You upload lots of funny videos on YouTube. For example, there is a video where you visited the Sanrio Puroland. Do you have a place or an activity that you want to try out for those videos in the future?
ROY: I would like to go abroad and shoot in various places.
Leo: I want to do an eating contest with everyone!
Rio: I want to assault ghost spots! Regularly.
RYOGA: I want to try an eating contest or something like that.
TEIKA: I want to hang out overseas with the members and have concerts!!
You also did videos where you talked about the visual kei scene from 2012. Can you tell us 1 thing that was better 10 years ago and 1 thing that changed for the better?
ROY: One would be that I was young and the other that I gained experience.
Leo: Being full of hope and that I am still able to play music with precious friends I encountered.
Rio: Something that was better 10 years ago, was that you had less ways to obtain information. For minor hobbies and underground activities. Now we have more possibilities to spread our music through social media/thanks to social media.
RYOGA: 10 years ago, the fans fully immersed themselves into the culture through similar fashion and hairstyles and it seemed as if they had more fun at that time. Nowadays, we have wider places to present ourselves.
TEIKA: I was a student 10 years ago, so I had a lot of fun hanging out with friends every day. That was a lot of fun. Something that is better now, is that I got closer to becoming the kind of person I wanted to be 10 years ago.
Are you always on time or is there a member who is always too late?
ROY: Everyone is always on time.
Leo: I am late sometimes. Just sometimes.
Rio: I am!
RYOGA: I’m punctual!
TEIKA: Rio is very late about once every year.
What makes you laugh the most during tours or song production?
ROY: I think when we are on a drive during the tour.
Leo: As you might expect, tours are the most fun and it is also my motivation for creating songs.
Rio: When we are able to have a live show as we envisioned or when our words reach our fans properly.
RYOGA: When our fans enjoy themselves in a way we imagined for example and when I see how much they enjoy themselves.
TEIKA: I enjoy going out to eat with the other members during tours.
And finally, please be so kind and leave a message for your overseas fans.
ROY: Thanks for your support! I believe that music can encompass all genders, races, ages, and nationalities and make them happy. I also want to do my best to be able to have live shows in your country one day. Please treat me well.
Leo: Thank you for watching us. ZERO[Hz] will do their best to visit you overseas one day! Please wait for us, okay?!
Rio: I’m looking forward to the day we will meet!
RYOGA: I will definitely visit you one day! Even if you are far away, I hope you can enjoy ZERO[Hz]’s music.
TEIKA: We will definitely perform overseas in the next few years, so please support us!!
Interview: Chris
Translation: Jenny
English Edit: Kaity
It would be great if you could support us with a small donation.
It might not be much for you, but it would help us providing more and better interviews in the future.
With a little bit of your support we might be able to realize even more!
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